This month, CreditDonkey surveyed over 1,000 Americans about their shopping habits and payment preferences. The results suggest that a significant percentage of consumers display many of the shopaholism indicators. The biggest red flag is feeling a rush of excitement after making a purchase, which nearly half of all responders felt! Another is feeling guilt after… Continue reading Survey says: High Percentage of Americans at Risk for Shopaholism
Category: Retail Psychology
Lying About Your Shopping Habits to the People You Love
When your spending is out of control, it can wear you down emotionally and put a strain on your relationships. Even if it doesn’t come directly from your debt, it could be out of shame for your actions, causing you to hide your secret addiction from the people you love. If you’re embarrassed about your… Continue reading Lying About Your Shopping Habits to the People You Love
Women Who Hide their Shopping Addiction from their Husbands
Shopping addiction is not a problem isolated to this side of the Atlantic. Buckinghamshire psychologist Nadine Field treats an average of six women a week who have been spending behind their partners’ backs. Thirty-three-year-old Elenor Smith has been spending money she and her husband don’t have for the past three years. She’s been piling up… Continue reading Women Who Hide their Shopping Addiction from their Husbands
Shopping Addiction a Growing Problem in the U.S.
Trips to the mall are the fix some Americans need to manage the stress of their lives. Like an alcoholic craves a drink, so does a compulsive shopper rush to a retailer. The compulsion may begin early in life, regardless of income. The reasons for chronic shopping range from low self esteem, to depression, or… Continue reading Shopping Addiction a Growing Problem in the U.S.
Understanding a Shopping Addiction
A shopping addiction can provide entertainment for television and movies as in the show “My Shopping Addiction” and the popular movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” Far from being glamorous, this disorder can cause serious trouble in real life. It can be hard to spot this addictive behavior, but it is more common than you may think. Behind… Continue reading Understanding a Shopping Addiction
Wanting Everything is (Almost) the Same as Wanting Nothing
Aristotle said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.” Joshua Becker, in making his point, shares this quote and some very personal insight. Becker has a lovely six-year-old daughter: friendly, fun, intelligent and a collector of everything. She has a passion… Continue reading Wanting Everything is (Almost) the Same as Wanting Nothing
Menstruation and the Mall
A recent study conducted by the University of Hertfordshire shows that women are more likely to be involved with over-shopping behaviors at certain times of their menstrual cycle. British psychologists, Karen Pine and Ben Fletcher, whose research results are published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, studied 443 women ages 18 to 50. They… Continue reading Menstruation and the Mall
The Parable of the Lorelei
A mermaid, beautiful and alluring, sings from the top of a rocky point in the most dangerous section of the Rhine River. Like the sirens of the Homer’s Odyssey, she causes sailors to jump overboard and captains to forget about the deadly dangers surrounding them. Is this German legend about a seductive mermaid a parable… Continue reading The Parable of the Lorelei
When Everything is Taken Away, We See Who We Truly Are
Becoming Minimalist blogger Joshua Becker shares the story of Gracia and Martin Burnham, who were kidnapped and taken hostage by terrorists in 2001. The couple spent a year in the jungle, and her husband was killed during the rescue attempt. She talked with Becker about her experience and what became important when they had no… Continue reading When Everything is Taken Away, We See Who We Truly Are
Stop Being So Mean!
Sometimes we’re kinder to other people than we are to ourselves. Jill Chivers writes about body image, and the voices in our head that are not always supportive. If a friend spoke to you like that, would you still be friends? Chivers says, “…we keep these ‘awful’ friends who live inside us…drip feeding us the… Continue reading Stop Being So Mean!